Interdimensional: The Battle Begins
by t.j.guard
Summary: Platyborg filches a device that his Doofenshmirtz has been working on, a device which allows him to cross over into the First Dimension. This simple act sets off a chain reaction which no one ever saw coming.
1. Chapter 1

Interdimensional: The Battle Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own Phineas and Ferb.

A/N: Set after Perry Tells All, each chapter begins by indicating the POV it is set in

Chapter One

PLATYBORG

I ran, but some of the added, nonessential metal weight my cyborg body came with was making it a little difficult. That could be dealt with later. I had to protect the device in my hands, the device I had filched. It'd been easy, or it seemed that way, before I realized he still had a few of his loyal soldiers under his command-from his prison cell, no less.

I ducked into an alley, running through a series of battle plans in my head. If I could buy myself a little time...

"Present your papers or be destroyed," a Normbot said, and I froze, but only for a moment. Slipping the device into a secret compartment, I turned on the Normbot and switched one of my hands out for a blaster. I fired a shot, and the robot exploded upon impact. I had to hand it to Doofenshmirtz, though, especially right then. He knew what weapons would be useful, and he was no slouch when it came to installing them.

The other Normbots in pursuit descended upon the alley, leaving me one choice. I deployed the wings and took off, reconsidering my original plan. I might've had to skip a few steps and rush it a little, but the end result would still be the same, right?

A Normbot fired a shot, barely grazing one of my wings. No time to plan. Time to act.

I spotted the backyard of the Flynn-Fletcher household and reached for the device, weaving through laser shots and trying to remain in one piece. Time was running out, and I was running short on options.

Finally, I got my hands on the device, and I activated a portal...in mid-air. It would have to do. I managed to make it through, just as a Normbot fired, striking one of my wings and the remote just as I flew through the portal. The portal closed behind me, and I was flying straight into a radio tower in some kid's backyard.

First Dimension Phineas and Ferb. I remembered them, but my memories of that time disgusted me.

I struck the tower and tumbled onto the ground, pieces of scrap metal scattered all around.

"Mom, Mom, Mom, Phineas and Ferb built a radio tower in the backyard," a voice I recognized as Candace's said anxiously.

"All I see is a bunch of scrap metal and...oh, my God," another voice, one I recognized as Linda's, replied. Pretty soon, the whole family was gathered around me. "What did you boys do to Perry?" Linda asked, a note of annoyance in her voice.

"We didn't do anything to Perry, and besides, Perry's right over here," Phineas said, and I heard a chatter.

"So who's platypus is this?"

"Actually, we don't know. He just appeared out of nowhere." More like the Second Dimension, I thought. "We didn't build him, but he looks like he's in bad shape. Do you mind if we fix him up in the garage?"

Linda paused, and Candace asked, "Are you seriously going to go through with this?"

"Well, he does look pretty bad. Are you boys sure you can fix him up? He looks pretty complex."

"Yeah, we can fix him, at least, his robotic parts. We can bandage the organic wounds, but he'll have to stay here until those heal, and then we can locate his owners and return him to them."

That's gonna be tougher than you think. I tried to smirk, and then I realized that, judging by the sting, I must've scratched my face up tumbling through the radio tower.

"Well, alright, but clean up when you're done."

"Bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-but, bu-bu-bu-but-but," Candace stuttered.

I allowed the two boys to carry me inside and lay me on a table, and I finally closed my eyes to rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

PERRY

My kids were hard at work on fixing the cyborg that had apppeared out of nowhere and totalled their radio tower. "Come to think of it, he looks kinda familiar," Phineas said at one point, "and so does this remote he fell out of the sky with. Got any ideas about what they're for?" Ferb shook his head, and they resumed work on the robot suit around the platypus without another comment.

I hopped onto the table next to their patient and studied his face, and that's when I realized how familiar he was. It was Platyborg.

I let out a chatter, but the boys must've thought it was meaningless and went from repairing Platyborg's metal components to patching up his organic wounds. "He's gonna be okay, and then we're gonna find his owners and return him. Does that sound good, Perry?" I chattered again, this one really meaning absolutely nothing. It was just a force of habit.

Several minutes later, the boys' patch job was complete. "Well, we're gonna go inside. Think you'll be okay out here?" Phineas asked. I blinked. "Okay. You know where to find us if you need anything." I blinked again, and they walked into the kitchen, leaving me to look at Platyborg, who really looked like he was in bad shape. It looked to me like he fell from about fifty feet, which would've killed me. Platyborg was lucky to be alive.

I walked over to get a closer look, and he groaned and opened his eye. "Perry," he managed.

"Don't strain yourself," I replied. "You took a hard fall. It's a miracle you're here."

"Yeah, a miracle of science."

"So, what're you doing here?"

"I finally figured out how to decide things for myself, so in honor of the occasion, I decided I'd see what Doof was up to and see if I could steal something from him. I found that remote that does the whole traveling-across-dimensions thing, and I filched it, thinking I could figure out how to dimension hop later. Of course, I got found out by Normbots, chased across Danville, and the rest is history, as you can probably tell."

"So, your idea of celebrating your newfound freedom is petty crime?"

"I'm experimenting. I'm free now, and I have all kinds of options that I didn't have when I was Doofus' right hand."

"It reminds me of the boys, almost, except that they don't resort to petty crime to have fun everyday."

"Kinda reminds me of my boys, too, now that I think about it."

"Your boys figuring out how to make just about everything now?"

"Yes, yes they are."

I smiled softly. "They're beginning to recognize you, and I dread what the Agency will do to them, or me. They can't brush it off forever, I know this, and Doof is after you, so he could come here, and if he meets my boys, they're bound to remember. The Amnesia-nator can't work forever. It has to fail at some point."

"Oh, I forgot. Your Doofenshmirtz is an incompetent boob."

I couldn't help but laugh. At first, Platyborg didn't strike me as a snarker, but he had been brainwashed, and snarking probably had been the farthest thing from his mind. Now he was free, and it struck me that we were more alike than I realized back then. After all, we were identical, technically speaking. "You should rest," I said. "You got hurt really badly, and your organic injuries won't heal as fast as a trip to the repair shop can repair the approximately eighty percent of you that's metal."

"Do I have to?"

"I know you're enjoying your freedom and all, but wounds have a way of healing faster if you're asleep."

Platyborg let out a soft, slightly pained sigh and closed his eye. I yawned, lay down, and rested my head on my paws, closing my eyes. I stayed awake long enough to make sure he was asleep, and I wasn't far behind him.

PNF

"Oh, there you are, Perry," Phineas said as he and Ferb walked into the garage. I had just awakened. "Aw, that's nice. You stayed with...oh, yeah, we don't know his name." I chattered. "Platyborg?" I nodded.

"A portmanteau of 'platypus' and 'cyborg'," Ferb said.

"Oh." I hopped down off the table and looked up at where Platyborg lay, still asleep. "It's okay. When he wakes up, we'll leave some food out for him." I smiled up at Phineas and Ferb. They were so good, even to someone they understood to be a perfect stranger. "Anyway, let's go see what we're gonna do today." Phineas and Ferb walked out of the garage, and I looked back at Platyborg before slipping out of the garage in my own right.

I walked around to a spot on the lawn, where, with my four feet, I tapped out a specific pattern on specific points. A chute opened in the lawn, and I hopped into it, slapping on my fedora on the way down.

I dropped into the chair and the screen switched on. "Good morning, Agent P.," Monogram said. "Doofenshmirtz is up to something. Get over there and put a stop to it." I saluted and rushed over to the rocket car. Before long, I was on my way to Doof's place for another mission.

I reached the Doofenshmirtz Evil, Inc., building and parked just behind it, taking the elevator to the top floor. I buzzed the doorbell of his apartment, and he answered amiably. "Perry the Platypus, how nice of you to stop by. Please, come in." In spite of, or because of, the inevitable trap, I stepped forward, and I found myself strapped to the wall right next to the door. "Let me tell you my latest scheme. It came to me in a dream lsat night, no, really. Don't look at me like an idiot. I can follow my dreams, too. Anyway, it was actually almost like a nightmare, very vivid stuff, but that's a story for another day. In this dream, I built a device which allowed for travel between dimensions, and behold." He pulled the tarp off a very familiar looking device. My heart stopped.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

PLATYBORG

I could feel myself coming back into the realm of the conscious, and I could hear Phineas say, "Ferb, I think he's waking up." I could smell insects and worms, and I could swear someone set a bowl on the table next to my head.

My stomach rumbled, and I rolled over, still half asleep. I managed to find that my four legs would support me well, and I reached the platypus food without agitating my injuries. My face hurt, so I ate carefully. The platypus food tasted better than I remembered. "Wow, he must really be hungry," Phineas said. Perry probably preferred human food over insects and worms, at least, as far as I could judge.

About five minutes later, I finished eating and turned to look at the boys. These were definitely First Dimension Phineas and Ferb. They smelled of motor oil and confidence and looked like the type of kids to take summer and squeeze every moment of joy out of it. Summer had never been outlawed here, I remembered. "I wonder who you belong to," Phineas said. Ferb was still a kid of few words. I chattered. "How can you belong to us? We only have one platypus, and I think we'd know if we got another and turned it into a robot."

I found a notepad and pencil and wrote, '_I'm from another dimension, a dimension you probably remember nothing about. You two didn't turn me into a robot. Where I'm from, you were too scared to do anything which would get you in trouble. There was a mad scientist named Heinz Doofenshmirtz in my dimension, and he took over the Tri-State Area several years ago. He's the one that made me a cyborg, hence the name 'Platyborg.'_'

Phineas and Ferb read the note at least three times over before they looked up at me. "There's an evil dimension? And who's Heinz Doofenshmirtz?" Phineas asked. I nodded, and I wrote another note. After he read that one, he asked, "Harmless? How could he do this to you and still be harmless?" Ferb rested a hand on his brother's shoulder. I wrote a third note. "So, let me get this straight. In an evil dimension, there's a much eviler Heinz Doofenshmirtz than the one here and he rules the Tri-State Area and made you a cyborg?" I nodded, although the second part wasn't technically true anymore. Phineas gulped and exchanged looks with his brother. I knew what they were thinking. If I was from this second dimension, they had no reason to assume that Doof would bridge the gap, too, and finish what he started. Of course, they didn't remember what my Doof had started, but I could tell that they had recognized me on some level. Their memories might come back, and for some reason, this thought gave me hope.

I walked to the edge of the table, and wordlessly, Phineas helped me onto the floor. I looked around, wincing when moving my head got too painful, and I walked out of the garage. The First Dimension, when not in the throes of battle, was really quite beautiful. The sun was shining, on this particular day there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and I could hear birds singing in the distance. Everything seemed brighter than it was back home, which was a little hard on my eyes, what was left of them, but I found refuge in the shade of a tree.

"Hey, who's this?" Isabella asked. This Isabella was sweeter than the Resistance tough girl I was familiar with.

"Oh, he calls himself Platyborg," Phineas replied. "He fell out of the sky and we got permission to fix him up."

"You...got permission?"

"Yeah. Mom let us fix him up as long as we cleaned up after ourselves."

"Platyborg? I think I heard that somewhere. Wasn't he evil?" I tensed.

"I don't know, but something about that seems about right."

They really did have their minds wiped, and all I could do about it was chatter and write notes. I lay down and closed my eyes, realizing the noise and light was giving me a headache. The kids talked some more, and I was forced to retreat back inside the garage, where I lay down amid various tools and other items typical of the average suburban garage. It was quieter here, which was easier on my false coclear devices, and I allowed myself to relax.

I heard someone walk into the kitchen, and judging by the voice, it seemed to be Lawrence. "Oh, hello, little guy," he said, reaching down to pat me on the head. "I take it you're Phineas and Ferb's patient. Do you feel better?" I chattered. "Oh, good, very good. I've been told that they're quite good with machines." I couldn't help but smile. It seemed the general consensus was that I was in very, very good hands. "Well, you're kind of cute, in a strange, mechanical way, and you remind me of Perry."

I thought of my Phineas and Ferb. They were probably scared to death, since my disappearances used to last only about twelve hours and this one lasted almost thirty.

I pushed the thoughts from my mind and let out a chatter. "Oh, well, then," Lawrence said, seeming to understand that I was saying something. In all honesty, I wasn't. "If you see the boys, tell them I've gone to pick up a few things while Linda watches the casarole." With that, he climbed into the stationwagon and drove out of the garage, and I was alone once more.

Much as I didn't want it to, my mind returned to the Second Dimension and specifically Phineas and Ferb. They had started picking up doing summer projects and whatnot, but I was one of them, or I'd come close until they realized they couldn't restore me to normal without killing me.

Ferb walked into the garage, exchanging a box of blueprints for a box of tools. He looked at me and said, "Glad to see you're feeling better," before walking off. I looked around before laying my head down and closing my eyes in an effort to get some sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

PERRY

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and for once, I really wasn't registering whether or not Doof was telling me any kind of backstory or evil plot to rule the Tri-State Area. My thoughts were focused solely on the all-too-familiar off-white device in the middle of the room. In all my days, I never dreamed that this day would come again, but here it was. My worst nightmare and all of its horrible memories were staring me in the face, and I was truly afraid for my life.

I had to act.

The bonds strapping me to the wall were of standard strength, which I had come to expect from Doofenshmirtz. I could've been out by now if I wasn't stricken white by that horrible thing.

Focus, Perry, I told myself. The agency is counting on you, and whether they know it or not, so are Phineas and Ferb.

My mind shifted into escape mode almost before I could register any change. I worked one of my wrists free, and then the other, and I felt the wall for a release button. I found one, buried beneath wallpaper, and I pressed it. The bonds released my legs and tail, and I landed in a ready stance, but only for a brief moment before launching myself in the air. I kicked Doof away from the device. I didn't care if it worked or not. He couldn't get near it.

"Perry the Platypus, you escaped already?" he asked. I made no effort to mask my panic. "What's got you so worked up? It's just an -inator. We go through this every day and you don't panic then." I couldn't help but slap my palm to my face, and I turned toward the machine. Please, please let there be a self-destruct button, I mentally begged, scanning the device.

Oh, bless his heart, I thought, nearly collapsing from relief as I spotted the self-destruct button right next to the 'on' button. To be on the safe side, I handcuffed Doofenshmirtz to the air-conditioning-slash-heating unit and pressed the self-destruct button. "Great," he said. "Now I have to wait for Vanessa to come uncuff me before I can rebuild my -inator. Curse you, Perry the Platypus."

The phone rang, and I answered with a chatter. "Oh, hey, Perry. You seen my dad? He's running late," Vanessa replied.

I held the phone for Doofenshmirtz, who said, "Sorry, Vanessa, but my nemesis handcuffed me to my air-conditioning...yes, I know I'm running late. Do you think you could catch a cab? Well, I'm not going anywhere, and Perry the Platypus destroyed my -inator...What's it do? Well, I can't quite remember. I had a dream last night that told me to build it exactly the way that it turned out...Yeah, I know, it's kind of stupid and pseudoscience-y, but I had so much faith in my dream, you know...Yeah, I'll be here. Thank you, Vanessa." I heard the dial tone, and I put the phone back in its cradle. I tipped my hat to Doofenshmirtz and leapt out of the window, taking the hang glider down to my rocket car.

I hopped inside and rode off back home, slipping inside my lair to drop off the rocket car. I returned to the backyard and let out a chatter. "Oh, there you are, Perry," Phineas said. "We were just about to clean up."

The world was safe, for now.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

PLATYBORG

Perry walked into the garage. "You okay?" he asked. "I know it's a little brighter here than it is back in the second dimension, and you being part robot and all, it's probably a little hard on you."

"I'm managing," I replied. "How was the day's mission."

"A narrow shot, but a success nonetheless."

"What was the invention of the day?"

"He recreated something he saw in a dream, which is actually a flashback of some form."

"Your Doof puts a lot of faith in his dreams, apparently."

"Yes, yes he does." He lay next to me. "He's one of the ones that had his mind erased, so this is troublesome. I'm grateful for the self-destruct button, because without it, the machine would've worked."

"It's the Otherdimensionator, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes it is."

"I told the boys about Doofenshmirtz, and Alter Doof."

"How'd they take it?"

"It took a little doing, but I finally sorted out that there's a dimension where there was a much eviler Doof than the one here. After that it looked like it went okay."

"We just need to keep the two dimensions separate as much as possible, which is going to be difficult if you're being hunted down by your Doof and what's left of his robot army."

I nodded. "Perry, I want to apologize for everything I did the first time our dimensions crossed over."

"It's not your fault."

"It feels like it."

Perry rested a hand on my shoulder, and, even though I couldn't feel it, I appreciated the gesture. "Platyborg, I don't blame you, I never did. Technically, we're supposed to be identical, so I knew that for you to do what you've done, you had to have been brainwashed. I couldn't blame you for something you were doing against your will."

I couldn't help but smile.

PNF

I woke up the next morning with no memory of when I fell asleep, and I noticed that my face didn't hurt quite so much. In fact, I was starting to feel like my old self.

I looked over at Perry, who was still sound asleep, and I checked my watch. Four in the morning, not too bad, considering the hours I'd kept in the past. I looked around the garage, locating the remote I'd used to get here. The boys seemed to have fixed it up nicely, but I was afraid to test it out to see if it worked. That would violate what I'd said to Perry the previous night.

I left the remote on the table and slipped out of the garage, deploying my wings and taking off.

Danville was dark at this hour, much like back home, but something here seemed...better. The night was silent save a few crickets and cicadas off in the distance, and finding my way around was easy. I spotted Doofenshmirtz's building, which was toned down in design, something I found unusual.

I landed on the balcony and leaned in toward the sliding glass door to see what I could see. "Finally," this dimension's Doof said. "It is complete, again."

"Mmm, you stayed up all night rebuilding something that Perry will probably destroy as soon as he's on the clock?" a brown-haired girl asked groggily, and I could see her rubbing her eyes.

"Now, now, Vanessa. This time I didn't include the self-destruct button."

"How's that gonna make a difference?"

I didn't wait for Doof's reply. I slapped the glass with my tail and leapt over the shards into the room. "Perry the Platypus? You're a robot?" Doof asked, and I slapped my face with my palm. I pointed to the device. "You're a robot from another dimension?" At least that was more on the money. I tied him up with some nearby rope and looked at Vanessa.

"You're a robot from another dimension? I thought this -inator didn't work," she said. I pointed to a remote on the couch and then the device in the middle of the room. "So it does work, somehow, but why does no one want him to turn it on?" I pulled out a poster of Doofenshmirtz from my dimension and unrolled it. Vanessa went pale and collapsed into a chair.

"Vanessa, could you untie me so I can turn on my Otherdimensionator?" Doof asked.

"Sorry, Dad, but I don't think I can do that," Vanessa managed.

"Oh, you're in with Perry the Platypus, too." I held up two fingers, indicating that there were two platypuses in question. Doof leaned in toward me, examining the poster. "Is that me?" he asked. Wow, he was stupid. "I must do good for myself in your dimension." I tensed, but I did my best not to let it show.

"Dad, I know evil when I see it, and the guy in this poster looks like a much, much worse version of you."

"I want to meet him."

I shot Vanessa a look. "Not sure how well that's gonna go over," she said. "We'll conference after we've gotten some sleep, okay?"

"Oh, fine." Doof closed his eyes and was out like a light. Vanessa yawned and retreated back to her room. I turned to the Otherdimensionator and swapped one of my hands out with a blaster. I took out the device with one shot and took off out the window, on my way back to Perry's home.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

PERRY

Phineas set down the bowl of platypus food, and I chattered. He rubbed my head, and I chattered again. The platypus food was pretty good, an indication to me that the can was one week past purchase and about a month from expiration. It still had nothing on human food, but it was decent.

"So, Ferb," Phineas asked, "got any ideas for what we're gonna do today?" Ferb held out their project book, indicating a page marked by an orange tab. Phineas took the book and opened it to the page his brother indicated. I heard a knock at the door, so I drifted over to the door and slipped out of the platypus door the boys had installed. Platyborg was on all fours.

"I take it you were the one knocking," I said. "Where'd you go last night?"

"Four in the morning, I slipped away to Doof's place. He was working on the Otherdimensionator again, but I tied him up and destroyed it."

"He's persistant. He's been trying to take over the Tri-State Area for years, and I guess he wants to talk to his more successful, eviler counterpart and discover your Doof's secret to success."

"He must remember more than we anticipated. How many times did he get his mind wiped?"

"Twice in his life, as far as I know."

"It's starting to break down, I think. My Doof didn't build an amnesia-nator, but I'm not stupid, and I can't help but think that the effects would begin to break down at some point."

"Sounds like my Doof."

"Well, we've stalled him for at least a day, but you know we can't keep doing this forever."

"I know."

"There you are, Perry, Platyborg," Phineas said. "Why don't you two come inside. We have more platypus food if you're hungry, Platyborg." The two platypuses smiled and followed the redhead inside. Phineas set a second food bowl in front of us, and breakfast continued as if nothing had happened.

"Wait, how did you two not get rid of it already?" Candace demanded.

"Candace, Platyborg's not an 'it'," Phineas replied, "and he still has a long way to go before healing completely, or finding his owners."

"And where are his owners?"

"From what we've learned, in another dimension."

"How come that doesn't sound unusual?" This time, Candace's tone was more of curiosity than accusation. "Heck, how come it sounds familiar somehow?"

"Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today. We're gonna answer that question."

Uh-oh, I thought, glancing at Platyborg. He seemed just as nervous as I was, and I knew exactly how the agency would react, especially given everything I did that was outside what the agency would allow. I knew that as soon as this started, there was no turning back, and it would all snowball well outside my control. Damage control would be almost impossible.

My watch beeped, and I waited until the family's attention was arrested completely before I slipped away, this time into the living room. Behind the mirror was one of my secret tunnels. I allowed myself to be sucked down it, and I landed in my chair. The screen switched on, showing the usual close up of Major Monogram. "Good morning, Agent P. We have a situation. It appears Doofenshmirtz wants you to appear at a conference regarding his most recent creation, the Otherdimensionator. Did I say it right?" Perry nodded. "Alright, good. Get over there and make us proud, Agent P." I saluted, and I was out of my lair in no time.

I reached Doofenshmirtz's apartment uneventfully and rang the doorbell. "Ah, Perry the Platypus," Doof said. "How nice of you to join us. Yes, I know, it's early, but Vanessa was excited for this little conference. It's a shame you didn't bring your robot friend. Anyway, please, come in." I stepped inside and spotted Vanessa at the kitchen table, across from what I took to be her father's place, complete with a large cup of coffee.

"What? I couldn't sleep," Vanessa said defensively, though I really had nothing against her. Platyborg told me about Doof's plot and persistance to carry it out.

I took a seat at the table between the two Doofenshmirtzes, lacing my fingers together and leaning forward slightly. "Nice to see you look so pleasant, Perry the Platypus," Doof said. "Anyway, Vanessa is trying to stop me from building my Otherdimensionator. She thinks it's a bad idea. What do you think?"

I pointedly glanced at Vanessa. "See? Even he thinks it's a bad idea," she said. "Besides, you don't even remember what happened. I heard all about the giant robots from Mom, and no matter how evil you want me to be, nothing will make me take any chances."

"But this might be the key to success."

"Success for this alter of you from another dimension, maybe, but like I said, I'm not taking any chances, and it seems Perry agrees with me." I nodded. "And it looks like that platypus cyborg is on our side, too."

I looked at Doof and raised my eyebrow in a way that asked, 'You sure you want to meet him again?' Doof shook his head, his eyes slightly wider than normal. Something about Platyborg must've intimidated him, and it was likely that he didn't even know why.

"Okay, look," Vanessa said. "I have nothing against you building -inators, Dad, but you can't just rely on dreams for your evil plans. Something about it just screams insanity."

"Well, I am a mad scientist."

Debateable, I thought.

"Dad, I accept that you're a few peanuts short of crunchy peanut butter, but you should at least be sane enough to understand that some evil plans shouldn't be carried out. That's why Perry foils you every day."

"I just thought he did that because he enjoys it."

"Okay, maybe it's both, but really, you should be careful. What if you end up opening a can of worms, and not for Perry?"

Doof looked at me, but I had to say, I agreed with Vanessa. She made a very good point, and her father was failing miserably at the point _he_ was trying to make. "Alright, fine, I'll try to hold off in the Otherdimensionator for a few days," Doof said.

"Thanks," Vanessa replied. "Guess you can go, now, Perry." I tipped my hat to them and hopped off the chair. I walked over to the door and exited the apartment.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

PLATYBORG

The boys were hard at work on a machine which would help them regain their memories. It was a bright, sunny day, which didn't cause as much pain as I expected it to. I must've been getting used to the First Dimension.

I spotted Candace lost in her efforts to bust her brothers. It must've been normal for this dimension, because nobody made any fuss about it. This time, she walked into the garage, formulating a plan to finally tell her mother what they've been doing all this time. I followed, my primary concern being the remote. I had to help Perry keep the dimensions separate, for the sake of both of our worlds.

"Hey, what's this?" Candace asked, picking up the remote. I let out a sharp chatter, startling her enough to drop the remote. "Oh, great, the robot had to follow me." I didn't even bother to correct her. I walked over on all fours and picked up the remote, carrying it out of the garage. "Hey, you come back here with that," she snapped, chasing after me into the backyard.

She caught up to me and began wrestling the remote away from me. I put up more of a fight than she probably expected from a platypus, even one who was eighty percent metal, so it took her some time to really start fighting me. I kicked it up a notch and finally tossed the remote away from the scuffle. She dove after it, and I grabbed her ankle. Thus began a tug-of-war over a remote control to another dimension until finally the remote got tossed into the hands of Buford. It was all up in the air as he asked, "Hey, what's this do?"

"Be careful with that," Phineas said, taking the remote from Buford's hands. "It could be dangerous."

"Cool."

"No, seriously. We don't know what it does, so it could be dangerous."

Phineas was my hero right then. "Let's try it out and see," Buford said. Oh, no, I thought.

Candace snatched the remote away. "Oh, no, you don't," she said. "Let someone mature handle this."

This was spiralling out of control. I jumped up and snatched the remote right out of her hands, retreating into the house. I ran up the stairs and locked myself in the bathroom. The remote dropped from my bill, and I leaned against the door, weakened by relief.

"Hey, open the door, you cybernetic freak," Buford and Candace snapped simultaneously from the other side of the door. Even though I didn't appreciate the term, I wouldn't open the door. Perry was counting on me, or at least, I hoped he was, and even so, I'd do anything to help him. I'd done evil in the past, and now I had a chance to make up for it.

I heard pounding on the door, and then I could feel someone kicking at it. "Stop," Phineas said, and the pounding stopped. "Thank you. Now, Platyborg, you can come out. We're not gonna hurt you. We just wanna know what the remote does and why it seems familiar. That's all." Fear of them wasn't my problem.

"Oh, for the love of...will you just open the door?" Buford demanded.

I eyed the remote, and a solution appeared in my mind as if by magic. I pounded the device into the bathroom floor until it was somewhere between smithereens and dust, and then I opened the door and walked out on all fours, chattering. "Aw, now we have to fix it again," Phineas said. "Oh well, should only take a few minutes." I watched him gather up the pieces, and I knew I couldn't do anything more without exposing myself for what I used to be.

PNF

"Okay, all fixed," Phineas said, walking into the backyard, where the crowd of kids had gathered. He held out the remote and added, "Let's see what she'll do." I stood, tensing and preparing for the worst, which I was certain was coming. Phineas turned the handle, opening a portal to the Second Dimension. I could see my Phineas and Ferb looking into the portal with curiosity. They stepped through to get a better look at their First Dimension counterparts, and my Phineas said, "Perry, there you are." I let him rub my neck, and I chattered.

"Okay, where did they come from?" Candace asked, and then she paused. It didn't take long to see why. Her alter had slipped out to see what was going on, and she was eyeing the kids from the First Dimension with scepticism and something that screamed 'ready for action'.

"You two," she snapped. "Opening portals like this is dangerous, especially with the situation the way it is now."

Great. Doof must've lost Choo-Choo again, or worse, based on the tone of her voice. "We didn't know what this remote did. We were experimenting," First Dimension Phineas said, gesturing to the remote in his hand.

"I don't care what your motives are. Make sure it doesn't happen again."

Normbots were closing in on the portal, and I knew what they were after. I let out an urgent chatter, and Second Dimension Candace turned. "This conversation isn't over," she said before leaping off into battle.

"Can I do that?" First Dimension Candace asked, watching her alter fight off Normbots.

"Apparently," First Dimension Phineas replied.

"So that's what it does, huh," Buford said.

The can was open, and there was no stopping the worms now.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

PERRY

I wasn't half-way to the elevator when I heard thuds from Doofenshmirtz's apartment. I could hear voices, or rather, Doof's, echoing or doing impressions of himself, and without a second thought, I kicked in the door.

I had hoped this day would never come again, but there it was, right in front of me. There were two Heinz Doofenshmirtzes, a black-clad one lying on the floor, clearly panicked, and the Doof I was familiar with, pressing his back up against the nearest wall. I also spotted a familiar green portal to the Second Dimension. This was a complete disaster.

Something about Alter Doof seemed...off. Why would he tie himself up and throw himself through a portal? Was he really and truly off the wall insane?

The answer to these questions turned out to be 'he didn't' and 'no', respectively, and I understood why when my Doof said, "Hey, I just figured out how I know you. I saw you in my dream." He rubbed his forehead and added, "I'll be right back. I have to go get an aspirin."

He walked into the kitchen, and Vanessa eyed the Second Dimension version of her father. "So, you're my dad from another dimension?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, what?" Second Dimension Doofenshmirtz asked.

"I take it I don't exist in your dimension, which means you never met Charlene."

"Who's Charlene?"

"I'll take that as confirmation of my theory." I looked up at Vanessa and gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back and then examined Second Dimension Doof, as if scrutinizing him. "Can I ask you a quick question?"

"Oh, sure, go ahead."

"What makes you better at being evil than my dad?"

"I lost a toy train."

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"The only bad thing to happen to you is that you lost a toy train?"

"Yes."

"So what happened to your eye?"

"Oh, that? Well, I really don't remember, but I carry it around in a pouch."

"Ew."

I pointed to the portal and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that," Second Dimension Doof said. "Well, I'm not in a position to turn it off right now. Talk to that Indian kid, Baljeet or whatever his name is."

I leaned forward, peering into the portal. On the other side, I spotted the Second Dimension counterparts of Baljeet, Isabella, the Fireside Girls, and Buford. I glanced pointedly at Second Dimension Doofenshmirtz, and Second Dimension Isabella said, "We didn't send him. He jumped in on his own." I raised an eyebrow.

"He showed up tied up. It was kinda funny, really. Shoulda seen him," Second Dimension Buford replied.

That left one unanswered question: Who, or what, tied Second Dimension Doof up? I looked down at the man in question, who looked back up at me and shrugged. "It's the rogues, prototypes, you know. Somehow, they found their way out of storage. I thought I had them sent to the scrap yard, but apparently that wasn't the case." I held up a hand to stop him from monologuing, and I looked back at the Doofenshmirtz and Vanessa from this dimension.

Second Dimension Baljeet said, "Our readings have picked up another portal between our dimensions." He immediately captured my attention, and I knew exactly where the portal was and who opened it. "Closing this portal now could be dangerous. We have to close them both at the same time to avoid any large fluctuations in energy." This was already much, much worse than it had been ten minutes ago.

My watch beeped, and I turned away from the group to take the call. "Agent P., sorry to interrupt, but we need you to report to headquarters immediately," Monogram said. I nodded curtly, hung up, and looked back at the Doofenshmirtzes.

"We'll be fine, Agent P.," Vanessa said. "You can go." I smiled and nodded before exiting the apartment for the second time that day.

PNF

I slipped into my lair without incident, in spite of the kids gathered in the backyard. "Agent P," Monogram said from the screen, "we have a situation." I pointed to the way to the backyard. "Yes, exactly. There are two portals to the Second Dimension open. There's no telling what could come out of them." I held up a picture of Platyborg and Second Dimension Doofenshmirtz. "I stand corrected. There's no telling what else could come out of the portals, so they need to be closed." I jumped. He couldn't possibly be meaning 'at all costs'. My kids were out there, and he had no idea what I did that went over his head, all the risks I took for them. If he found out, my options were resignation or relocation. Actually, I'd be forced to resign, because I wasn't relocating.

"Sir, this is a very delicate situation," Carl said from offscreen. "Are you sure Agent P., is up to it?"

"He's our best agent. Of course he can handle it."

I was proud of Monogram's faith in me, but I desperately hoped I was up to snuff.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

PLATYBORG

As soon as I heard Perry's jet pack come in for a landing, I knew we were in serious trouble, and the second I saw him disappear inside the tree, I knew that he and his superior knew we were in serious trouble. I studied the portal more intently, and through it I could see Second Dimension Candace fighting off Normbots, and their lights were more bright red than the Normbots I was used to, which indicated one thing to me: Rogues.

The kids were captivated by the spectacle, giving me the perfect opening to slip away. As soon as I was out of sight of them, I deployed my wings and ascended. This next part would be tricky. I dove, firing the afterburners. The less they saw, the better.

I made it through the portal without a scratch, and as I pulled up to stop, I realized something. These were the robots who pursued me into the First Dimension, which meant Doof hadn't been controlling them at all.

A Normbot threw a punch, which I grabbed instinctively. Without hesitation, I swung him around and sent him flying backward. "Oh, there you are, Perry," Second Dimension Candace said. To the Flynn-Fletchers of my home dimension, I assumed I would always be Perry.

I landed next to Candace, watching the rogue Normbots swarm us, and I chattered. "We may not have a choice," she replied. We leapt into the air, each landing kicks on a pair of Normbot heads. We decapitated them and turned the robot corpses' arms on the others, firing shots until the rogues decided to flee.

"That was cool," Second Dimension Phineas said.

"Okay, how did this portal open?" Second Dimension Candace demanded.

"We used this remote, like I said," First Dimension Phineas replied, pointing to the remote in his hand.

Second Dimension Candace's cell phone rang, and she answered immediately. "What've you got, Baljeet?" she asked. "Yeah...uh-huh...What? No, I got that...No, they're safe. We're at the other portal." Other portal? That must've been what Perry's superiors wanted to see him about. "We'll be right over." She hung up and turned to the group of kids. "Whatever you do, don't close this portal unless otherwise directed. Got it?"

"Got it," the two Phineases said in unison.

"Phineas, Ferb, you two come with me. Other Phineas and Ferb, stay here and watch the portal." Second Dimension Phineas and Ferb hopped through the portal, and I looked from Second Dimension Candace to the portal, through which I now spotted Perry in pet mode. "Don't worry about us, Perry. We'll hack the system if we need you." I hopped through the portal and walked over to where Perry sat.

"What do you know?" I asked

"Two portals, and we have to close them both at the same time, or else something bad will happen," Perry replied. "What do you know?"

"I know that the Normbots that chased me here weren't controlled by Doof at all. They're rogues."

"He talked about that."

"My Doof is in your dimension?"

"Now, which is where the second portal came from. It's in my Doof's apartment."

"The rogues are out of storage now, it seems, though who did it I can't possibly fathom."

"Unless they didn't do it on purpose."

"Which means that whoever did this is unleashing an unpredictable force on an unsuspecting populace. I've never interacted with the rogues, but I've been taught, apparently rightfully so, that they were dangerous."

"I guess some good came out of your brainwashed phase."

"Is it really brainwashing if I remember everything about what I did?"

"Brainwashing is the changing of a person's thought patterns for complete and total compliance with the thought patterns of the person doing the brainwashing, all against the victim's will, so yes, it really is brainwashing if you remember everything you've done."

"Okay, that's that on the table. Now we can return to the matter at hand, the delicate predicament our dimensions are in."

"So far, the rogues know of the portals, but they haven't made any moves into our dimension...yet."

"'Yet' being the operative word."

"You're a strategist, right?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"We need some kind of plan of action. I can feel it."

"Not yet. We'll have to observe the rogues' movements first, and we'll formulate a plan based on what we find. Normbots, rogues or not, are very formation-oriented."

Perry chewed his lip, watching the kids, who were watching the portal. "Sounds like a plan to me," he said. I let the subject drop.

First Dimension Candace stormed into the backyard, yelling at the boys, but she stopped short when she noticed the portal. "What is that?" she asked in a much softer voice.

"It's a portal to some kind of alternate dimension," Phineas replied. "We're not allowed to close it."

"Who told you that?"

"You did. Or rather, our version of you did."

"Wait, are there two of me?"

"Yes, yes there are," the two Phineases said in unison.

"And you mean to tell me that these two platypuses are Perry?" She gestured to us, and we chattered in unison.

"Yes, yes we do."

"I'm going to get an aspirin, but when I get back, you guys are so busted." She stormed back into the house.

"Is she always like this?" I asked.

"Yes, yes she is," Perry replied.

"Well, we can't sit here all day. I'm gonna check out the portal at your Doof's place, and you let me know if anything goes wrong over here."

Perry nodded, and I slipped away to a point where I could take off safely without anyone noticing. I reached the D.E.I. building uneventfully, and as soon as I got a good look at the portal, I knew something was horribly wrong. The two Doofs were in the corner, watching it anxiously, and Vanessa looked bored, which seemed natural to her.

The portal itself remained undisturbed, and from what I could tell, the people on the other side seemed to be either ignoring it or studying it as intently as the two Doofenshmirtzes were. It was difficult to tell which, since they were all facing away from it.

Just to be on the safe side, I checked the readings from the portal. Everything seemed normal, or as normal as a portal between two dimensions could be. This was easier than I anticipated, at least so far. I turned to fly away, and I realized that I thought too soon.

A rogue Normbot hovered close. "Present your papers or be destroyed," it said. I shot upward, trying to figure out how for the life of me it got here. It followed, and before I knew it, it had a hold of my tail and sent me flying through a window. My tail caught something, and I found myself horizontal with no means of getting to my feet, no matter how hard I struggled.

"You should see yourself," First Dimension Doof said through his laughter. As tempted as I was to blast him, I first had to deal with the Normbot, who was now hovering over me and demanding my papers. I swapped one of my hands out for that blaster I'd originally wanted to use on First Dimension Doofenshmirtz and fired at the Normbot's head, effectively shutting it up while doing a good deal of damage to the upper torso. The Normbot collapsed, its head rolling off toward the wall opposite the two Doofenshmirtzes, and with Vanessa's help, I righted myself.

"How'd this one get here?" she asked. I shrugged and looked back at the two Doofenshmirtzes, who shrugged as well. "Ooo-kay, then." I walked over to what was left of the rogue Normbot and peered inside its torso. Much of the wiring was fried, but the main battery box and master circuit board were intact. I removed the back panel to get a better view.

"What is he looking for? He should know the inner workings of a Normbot by now," Second Dimension Doof snapped.

"I don't think this is idle curiosity about mechanical parts," Vanessa replied.

I carefully removed the battery and circuit board, and First Dimension Doofenshmirtz said, "This seems familiar somehow." His alter, daughter, and myself looked at him. "What? It just does."

"Does this have anything to do with the Second Dimension?" Second Dimension Doof asked, folding his arms across his chest and raising his eyebrow.

"No. I'm positive it has nothing to do with the Second Dimension. It's from before all of that."

"So what is it, Dad?"

"I can't put my finger on it," Doof said slowly, looking off into the corner and resting a hand on his chin. "It was long before L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N., I know that, but other than that, nothing else is coming to me."

"L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.?" Second Dimension Doof asked. I had to agree with him, because in all honesty, I've never heard of any such thing, either. Vanessa merely rolled her eyes as if to say, "whatever" and looked back at Second Dimension Doof and I. I looked back at the battery and circuit in my hands, and I thought back to Perry. He'd really love to know about this, whatever it meant, but I couldn't ditch the mission now. I had a few questions that needed answering before I could report back.

I walked over to the desk and set the items down before returning my attention to the Doofenshmirtzes. "What're you looking at us for?" Vanessa demanded. I raised the one eyebrow I still had. First Dimension Doof seemed to get the hint and walked over to the table, typing a few things into the computer, sparing the occasional glance at the circuit board and battery.

I looked at my Doof and First Dimension Vanessa, who eyed First Dimension Doof with scepticism. Well, First Dimension Doof did have a reputation as an idiot, I thought with a shrug. At least this time he might've been onto something.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

PERRY

I hopped onto the windowsill and looked through the open window into Candace's room, where I could hear her talking to Stacy rather animatedly. "Look, Stacy, there's a giant portal in the backyard," she said. "No, really. Come over here and take a look. They can't turn it off, so it's totally bustable. You have to see it." After a moment, she snapped her phone shut and set to pacing across her room. I watched from the windowsill, feeling my nerves fray even more.

Where was Platyborg, and why hadn't he called or gotten back yet? Was he hurt? Trapped in the other dimension? Dead?

I barely let the thought cross my mind before I decided, No, it couldn't be true. Platyborg couldn't be dead. I refused to let myself believe it before I saw it with my own two eyes. Until that came, I would firmly believe that Platyborg was alive, somewhere, and I would search from him. If it ever came to that, of course.

Besides, Platyborg said he was going to Doof's place, which provided a perfect jumping-off point if there ever needed to be a search.

Platyborg will be fine, I told myself fiercely. He's a strong cyborg platypus, and as I recall, nothing short of total electrocution could take him down for very long. He would be okay. I was sure of it.

Stacy arrived, and Candace pulled her out to where the portal, and the neighborhood children, waited, watching the portal to make sure it didn't close. I hopped off the windowsill and walked over to join them. "So, what's going on here?" Stacy asked.

"We opened this portal out of curiosity and now we can't close it," Phineas replied.

"Hold on, you can't close it?"

"That's why it's so bust-worthy," Candace said.

"Why can't you guys close the portal?"

"Because there's another one open somewhere. They have to be closed at the same time to maintain equilibrium."

"Okay, yeah." Stacy turned to Candace. "Does any of this seem familiar to you?"

Great. They were all starting to remember now, and while they might not remember all of it, they would remember some of it, which was dangerous to my identity, unless whoever remembered would think he or she was crazy. For now, I would have to keep up the act.

"Actually, now that you mention it, yes, yes it does," Candace replied.

"It's the Mysterious Force," they cried at the same time, seeking refuge in the house. I merely chattered.

"Know what she's talking about?" Buford asked.

"Nope," Phineas replied.

My watch beeped, and I slipped around to the entrance in the side of the house. I slapped on the fedora and rode the chute to my lair, landing in the chair as usual. The screen switched on, and Monogram said, "Well, Agent P., this is the most times we've called you in one day. Anyway, this situation with the crossing of our dimension with the Second Dimension is getting worse. Other agents report rogue so-called 'Normbots'," here he used air quotes, "just off the border of the Tri-State Area, coordinates shown here." In an inset, I noticed a map of the Tri-State Area, along with a latitude-longitude cross near the border, in the southeast. "Investigate immediately." I saluted and rushed over to the rocket car, taking off into the skies above Danville. Two hours to the location given to me, plenty of time, more than enough.

I contacted Platyborg through the communication module of the rocket car. "We're kinda busy," he said, moving his wrist so that I could get a good view of what was behind him. My Doof was at his computer, typing away anxiously and scanning the screen on occasion.

"At least you're okay. You didn't get attacked, did you?" I replied.

"Actually..."

"Rogue Normbots?"

"One, but I have no idea where it came from."

"Did you get thrown through a window?"

"Oh, the scratches? Yeah."

"Platyborg. You're trying to recover from a serious fall. Would it kill you to be careful?"

"I'm trying to give you a little help."

"Yes, I know, but you can't keep getting hurt. One of these days you'll get killed." So much for not thinking about losing Platyborg.

"Everybody dies at some point."

I glanced from the sky in front of me to Platyborg's face, and in his eye I spotted a haunted, regretful look. "How many?" I asked.

"I lost count."

"Well, don't join your tally, okay?"

"Okay," he said softly, hanging up right after. I couldn't blame him. I never meant to pry, but from experience, I knew that it helped to talk about one's problems, at one's own pace. I only wanted to encourage the healing process.

I couldn't blame Platyborg. He regretted what he'd done, what Second Dimension Doofenshmirtz made him do, and he wanted to make up for it, so far as I could judge. I wanted to help him every step of the way.

I turned on the radio, which happened to be playing my kids' 'Gitchie Gitchie Goo'. I turned up the volume and tapped the steering wheel to the music, humming along and bobbing my head a little. With a press of a button, I checked the map. I still had a long way to go.

PNF

I landed the rocket car on the roof of a twenty-story apartment building and rubbed my eyes. Long flights were never good to me, especially when I had to fly myself.

I hopped out of the rocket car, made my way to the fire escape, and proceeded down the side of the building. I scanned each floor carefully, and after twenty minutes, I reached the bottom with no sign of unusual activity in sight.

An hour of fruitless searching around the edges of the building later, I entered the lobby, a fashionably furnished, spacious room. I walked up to the receptionist and handed her my badge and a handwritten note. "Well," she said after considering these two items, "we have gotten some complaints of someone making a lot of noise and cackling maniacally in apartment Four Thirteen." I smiled and tipped her for her trouble, and I walked to the elevator. Four Thirteen, I told myself as I pressed the button and stepped inside.

"Goin' up?" a delivery guy asked. I nodded. "What floor?" I held up four fingers. "Oh, me, too." I raised an eyebrow and pointed to the package. "Yep," he said. "Droppin' off this package for this crazy. Who orders a fogger for a twelve-by-twelve apartment, anyway?" A fogger? "Anyway, it pays the bills, so I don't really complain." True that.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. I followed the delivery guy out of the elevator...right to apartment Four Thirteen. He knocked on the door, and as soon as someone answered, I leapt over the delivery guy's shoulders and kicked the guy in the face. "Oh, what is this stinky, smelly platypus doing on me?" Rodney asked.

Wait...Rodney?


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

PLATYBORG

I watched First Dimension Doofenshmirtz with some degree of curiosity. He'd been on the computer for some time, and it seemed to surprise Vanessa and even my Doofenshmirtz. Perhaps he really was onto something, and it struck me as a first for him.

Unable to contain myself any longer, I walked over to the desk and looked up at the computer screen. Why was he looking up records from his college?

"Ha," he said, "found it."

"Found what?" my Doof asked.

Vanessa walked over and leaned over her father's shoulder. After a brief scan of the screen, her usual bored expression shifted to shock. "You don't think...do you?"

"It has to be," First Dimension Doof said. "There's no one else with a mind like that."

Second Dimension Doof finally relented and walked over to the computer, to lean over First Dimension Doof's other shoulder. "You're sure about this?"

I stepped back and checked the signal from Perry's rocket car. He'd parked, and he was on the border of the Tri-State Area. If I recalled correctly, it was an apartment building and a fond hiding place for the South Side Strike Team of the Resistance, at least back in my dimension. I could get there relatively easily, but from here it would take about two hours at eighty percent top speed.

Perry must've known about the third portal, as well, which meant the operatives knew and reported it to Monogram. I ran a quick search for the other members of the agency, but I couldn't pick up signals from them anywhere. If the other agents were victims of foul play, then Perry was in danger.

Vanessa looked at me and asked, "Do you think you can get us across the Tri-State Area?"

PNF

I flew over Danville, on my way to the southeast border, my arms looped under Vanessa's, whose feet were looped under her father's arms, whose feet were in turn looped under the arms of his alter from the Second Dimension. I had to give us a little altitude to avoid anyone getting hurt or anyone spotting us. We were a much larger target visually than Perry and his rocket car.

The flight was long, not as long as some of the other flights I've undertaken, but long nonetheless, and as usual, I busied myself by trying to formulate a plan. If I could pick up a signal on Perry's watch, I could pinpoint his exact location, but if this apartment building was anything like its Second Dimension counterpart, getting around would be difficult.

Every second counted, especially in a raid after a target. One had to be careful, silent, undetected. Spy training definitely came in handy.

"Why's your wrist beeping?" Vanessa asked. I glanced down at my wrist, and I found myself captivated by its beeping. Morse code, and it repeated itself. It took me a moment to translate, but the second I figured it out, I let out a chatter. "Uh-oh." I fired the afterburners. Every second counted, after all.

I crossed the Tri-State Area in a total of about an hour and forty minutes, and I dismantled the human chain on the roof of the apartment building a few feet away from Perry's rocket car, myself landing in front of the doorway leading to the stairs. I walked to the doorway and tried the handle. It was unlocked, so I gestured for the three to follow as I slipped inside. We descended the flights of stairs, which were thankfully free of people, even as we descended into the lower half of the building.

We reached the fourth floor, and I stopped the other three from just opening the door. I checked the readings on my wrist. Perry was here, of that there was no question. Then I looked at the box next to the door. Back in the Second Dimension, the fourth floor of this apartment building was a favorite of Resistance members, so security was tight. If it was a favorite of villains of some form in this dimension, the same would, in theory, also hold true. I picked the lock and scanned the wiring inside. Cut the wrong one, and risk setting off alarms, literally and figuratively.

"What's he doing?" First Dimension Doof asked in a loud whisper.

"Relax," Second Dimension Doof snapped in reply. "He's done this a thousand times. He knows what he's doing and I trust his judgment." Well, that was an odd phrase to hear from him, considering.

I spotted the wire for the camera feeds on this floor, and I ripped it out. Footsteps approached the door, so I closed the box and gestured for the others to gather in a corner, out of sight.

The door opened, and the figure paused. I froze. It couldn't be. I thought I... I cut my thoughts off and watched as the figure decided he'd seen and heard nothing out of place and descended the stairs. Further examination of his figure revealed the truth.

Rodney.

I turned to the others, pointed to Vanessa and Second Dimension Doof and gestured for them to follow Rodney, and the second the latter opened his mouth, I held up a finger to silence him. They descended the stairs, and I turned to First Dimension Doof and gestured for him to stay put.

I opened the door and peered down the hallway. Save the cut video feed, nothing seemed out of place. Gingerly, I stepped into the hallway, waiting. After a full ten seconds, nothing happened, so I proceeded down the hallway, following the readings my tracker screen indicated.

I stopped at a door numbered four thirteen. This seemed to be the place. I tested the door handle, which was also unlocked. I never took Rodney to be the cocky sort, but he definitely proved himself to be by leaving his door unlocked. Didn't he know anything?

Of course, I couldn't complain about an opportunity presented to me. I slipped inside the apartment.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

PERRY

I struggled with the bonds before realizing that escape was most likely a futile exercise. I wasn't used to Rodney, and with Agent K. on her day off, it was likely that I was doomed.

I tried to process how I ended up bound like this, strapped to a wall in a metal shell which was remarkably adaptive to my physical form. There really didn't seem to be a way out of this.

I'd kicked Rodney in the face, and he'd pressed a button which strapped me...here. Typically, I allowed myself to be trapped, but right now, there was too much at stake for such foolishness, and something about Rodney struck me as the type who wouldn't stand around and wait for stuff to happen, either.

I heard someone turn the knob, and I knew it couldn't be Rodney, because he just left. Who would that leave? I wondered. My nemesis, Doofenshmirtz, who didn't take kindly to other people trapping me while I tried to foil their plans, Platyborg, and-actually, that was about it. Doofenshmirtz or Platyborg would be at the door, and in all honesty, I couldn't be happier to see either one of them, no matter which one.

The door opened. "Platyborg, thank God," I cried.

"Perry? Perry, are you okay?" he replied.

"I'm just a little...stuck."

"Outside of that. Did he hurt you? Did he threaten you? God help him if either of those are true."

"He didn't do or say anything. He just trapped me, and since I can't exactly bother Agent K. on her day off..." Platyborg knit his brow, so I trailed off. "You don't think Agent K. is taking a day off, do you?"

"No, I don't, which means we have to get you out of here." He swapped one of his hands out for a saw and began cutting at the trap. Sparks flew, illuminating parts of the semi-darkened room, and ultimately, I was cut free without incident.

"Thanks," I said.

"Not a problem," he replied, and he walked over to the window. I followed. Platyborg's anxiety seemed to be contagious, because I was getting increasingly more jumpy, and I could feel it. We leaned over the windowsill, peering into the parking lot below. "I think we can get down there."

"Meow."

We turned to the door, where a cyborg cat was silhouetted. "I guess we found Agent K.," I said, struggling to mask my dread. Nothing about Agent K was recognizable anymore. If I didn't know any better, it could've been a random stray cat off the street.

"Meow," the cyborg cat said again, more menacingly.

Platyborg kicked in the window and pulled me close, jumping out of the window. He deployed his wings and banked up just before we hit the asphalt. The cyborg cat followed us, shooting. He dodged so viciously that I was about to get motion sick, but I managed to keep everything where it belonged.

"Let me onto your back," I said. "I have an idea."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"I may be squishy, but if I can handle you, I can handle Kitty Galore."

"I sure hope you're right."

Platyborg loosened his grip, and I crawled onto his back. I pulled out the grappling gun and aimed for a pole, firing before it was out of range. The hook wrapped around the pole, and the rope grew taut. I swung around the pole, keeping myself as aerodynamic as possible, and as I came around, I kicked the cyborg cat, knocking it off course. I let go of the grappling gun at the exact moment that would allow me to land on Platyborg's back, which I did after several seconds. I looked behind me to see that the cyborg cat was struggling to get back on course. "Nice shot," Platyborg said.

"Were you good at being an agent?"

"I can't remember."

I looked back again. The cyborg cat was back on course and coming on us faster than before. I went from riding Platyborg like a surfboard to grabbing onto his armor with all fours. "She's coming back at us," I said. He fired the afterburners and banked up. The cyborg cat followed suit.

The cyborg cat seemed to have a vicious sense of timing, because as soon as we were clear of the skyscrapers that lined the southeast border of the Tri-State Area, she fired a shot, hitting us dead-on. I tumbled end over end, consequently losing my grip on Platyborg, who dove after me as I fell. The cyborg cat fired another shot, which I could see struck Platyborg, knocking him as off course as I had knocked her several minutes prior. I struck the pavement and was knocked out instantly.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

PLATYBORG

I tumbled on landing, but I made sure that I was on my feet as soon as possible. I looked back at Perry, who was unconscious and looked like he was in horrible shape. I rushed over and checked his breathing and pulse, both of which were still going. He was still alive.

A few Good Samaritans rushed over to help me render medical attention, and a young kid with curly red hair and freckles dialled a number. "Sir, we have a situation," he said. "A four fifty-one on First Street." I recognized the code instantly. Agent injured in the line of duty. He snapped the phone shut. "Okay, everybody, help is on the way." He knelt next to Perry and looked at me. "How is he?" I chattered, and he nodded in understanding. This kid must've interacted with Perry on a daily basis. "Okay, be careful with the neck," he ordered the group. "It could be broken. He has a pulse, and he's breathing." He checked Perry's torso and added, "Several broken ribs. Anything else?" I chattered again. "There could be internal bleeding and organ damage."

We could do no more for Perry but remain by his side and wait.

Sirens cut through the air, and seconds later, an ambulance was on the scene. Monogram, along with two others, hopped out of the ambulance, and we helped them load Perry onto a stretcher. The kid and I leapt into the back with him and helped with the neckbrace, bandages, and several other medical devices. When we were no longer needed, we hung back, and then and only then did the kid collapse in a heap, crying like he'd lost his beloved pet dog. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he managed at one point, but the rest of his words were lost in his tears. He let out another 'no' several minutes later, and the tears came more heavily. He didn't even try to speak.

Gingerly, I rested a hand on his shoulder.

PNF

First Dimension Monogram walked into Perry's room in the O.W.C.A. veterinary facility, followed by First Dimension Phineas and Ferb, and I watched them anxiously from Perry's bedisde. "Thanks to Platyborg and several civilians, Agent P. has been stabilized," Monogram said. "Thanks to Carl's quick action, we could get him here in time to help with the more serious injuries."

"So, he's gonna be okay, right?" Phineas asked, notes of hope in his voice.

"Yes, yes he is. Now, I realize that this is a different set of circumstances than the first time you learned Agent P.'s identity, and we can't risk using the amnesia-nator again for fear of long-term mental damage."

"Sir, if you have to send him away, could you wait until he recovers? He doesn't travel well when he's hurt."

Monogram seemed taken aback by the statement, as if this was the first indication he had of Phineas and Ferb understanding their pet this well. "Uh, of course," he managed.

I thought of something and gestured for Monogram to come closer. I pulled a copy of the spy manual out of the drawer in Perry's bedside table, opened it to a section somewhere in the middle, and handed it to him, indicating the subheading I was thinking of. He read it over, and I chattered when he finished. "Personal effects?" Monogram asked. "Well, we have this locket." He handed me a webbed-foot-shaped locket on a chain, and I gestured for Monogram to follow me. If my thinking was correct, then Perry was a genius, no matter the risks he was taking.

If it killed me, I had to help him. He was me, after all, and it was my fault he was hurt. I couldn't let my regrets haunt me, otherwise I'd have killed myself by then.

I opened the locket, revealing pictures of five-year-old First Dimension Phineas and Ferb, along with a younger version of Perry. I smiled softly and looked up at the long hallway. I began to wonder where exactly the veterinary facility was with relation to the surface-level city of Danville. Eventually, though, we reached Perry's lair, and I typed in the access code without hesitating.

I pressed the locket into the keyhole and typed out a few commands on Perry's computer. Images appeared on the screen, and a feminine voice asked, "Please select the invention you would like to study."

"What's all this?" Monogram asked. I pointed toward the hall that led to the two boys and Perry. He began scanning through the inventions in Perry's computer system. "The boys built these?" He looked back at me, and I chattered, indicating that it appeared to be the case. I may not have known what Perry was doing or thinking in entirety, but it seemed that I understood his thought process relatively well. "Aren't they a little young to be building things like this?" I nodded. Boy have I heard that one. My Phineas and Ferb were beginning to build on this scale, since summer was a recent addition to their lives, so I recognized some of the inventions this dimension's Phineas and Ferb created. "So why are you showing me this?" I chattered. "Agent P. is behind this? Why?" I chattered again. "Well, uh, I really don't know what to say. I've never encountered an agent who was so close to his host family, but it certainly does explain his devotion to his work." I couldn't blame him for that, that was for sure.

Carl, who still looked rather frazzled and puffy-faced, walked into the lair. "Oh, there you are, sir. What're you looking at?" he asked. He was clearly trying for the sake of his superior

"Apparently inventions from Agent P.'s owners," Monogram replied. "By the looks of things, they average a project a day."

"That's pretty impressive."

"Come on. We have some things to discuss with those two boys."

Monogram and Carl walked back down the hall, and I followed, desperately hoping I'd done right by Perry. Carl and I walked into Perry's room while Monogram talked to the boys in the hall. Perry's eyes fluttered open, and I chattered, indicating what I'd done. He reached over, took my hand, and smiled.


End file.
